The Ritchie County Rebels's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Friday after their fifth straight loss. They fell just short of Wirt County by a score of 48-45. Ritchie County lost against Wirt County in their previous head to head two weeks ago, too, but the margin this time around was much wider than the 47-42 score last time.
When it comes to explaining why Ritchie County lost, one person who can't be blamed is Rhett Johnson. Despite the final result, he scored 22 points. That's the first time this season that Johnson scored 15 or more points. Bodhi Utter was another key contributor, scoring three points along with five rebounds.
Wirt County's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Easton Wyer led the charge by scoring 11 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Those 11 points set a new season-high mark for him. The team also got some help courtesy of Alex Bevel, who scored nine points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Ritchie County's loss dropped their record down to 3-5. As for Wirt County, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Ritchie County will take on Ravenswood at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Ravenswood presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Ritchie County in West Virginia (Ravenswood is ranked 20th, while Ritchie County is ranked 82nd). As for Wirt County, they will be playing at home against Tyler at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
